The Brand Canvas Model
The Brand Canvas Model
Brandcom · Brand and advertising agency, Germany · 2018
Introduction
All Building Blocks of a Brand on One Chart
The German brand and advertising agency brandcom developed the Brand Canvas Model in 2018 to make all the essential building blocks of a brand visible on one chart (Brandcom, 2018a, FAQ). The Business Model Canvas from the start-up scene served as its template and trigger, but in content the model is independent of it and focuses on brands (Brandcom, 2018a). Filling it in forces its users to answer the essential questions about their brand clearly and concisely, and the finished canvas helps keep the overview of what really makes the brand (Brandcom, 2018a). It is meant for new and existing brands, product and corporate brands, in B2B and B2C alike (Brandcom, 2018a, FAQ). The canvas does not answer every question in detail and is not meant to: the point is to have the overview on a single chart (Brandcom, 2018a, "Fazit"). The 2018 version (Version 2) had a field for the logo where the current version of 2022 asks for the objectives (Brandcom, 2018b, 2022).
The Model
Elements
Definitions follow Brandcom (2018a, section "Detailerläuterung und Ablauf") and the guiding questions on the canvas (Brandcom, 2022), translated from German. The fields appear in the order in which brandcom recommends filling them for a new or revised brand.
Set-Up
01
Framework Conditions / External Factors
The top block describes how the brand is set up between external and internal conditions and its objectives (Brandcom, 2018a). This field (Rahmenbedingungen/externe Faktoren) asks which external conditions matter for the brand: economic and cyclical influences, trends and social influences, or legal requirements and changes (Brandcom, 2018a). The canvas names economic, social and political conditions (Brandcom, 2022).
02
Organisation / Structure
A brand can be anchored in a company in very different ways (Organisation/Struktur): is the company the brand, or is the brand only a product or a service line? The field also covers internal conditions: is a team, a single person or an advertising agency responsible for the brand? Is the brand international, with its origin in another country, or a purely local brand (Brandcom, 2018a)? The canvas adds the brand's place in the organisation chart, team and resources, and other brands or companies (Brandcom, 2022).
03
Objectives
The objectives (Zielsetzung) are among the most important guidelines for the brand's direction, but are often treated far too superficially. Good marketing is always targeted communication, so the clearer the objective, the more targeted the measures. Where should the journey go, "niche hero or world market leader" (translated)? What exactly should the brand achieve (Brandcom, 2018a)? The canvas asks for the objectives of both the company and the brand (Brandcom, 2022).
Alignment
04
Competitors
The middle block defines the brand's strategic direction, above all in the tension between competition and customer requirements (Brandcom, 2018a). This field (Wettbewerber) asks who the brand's main competitors are, whether they are larger and dominant or rather insignificant, what their main arguments are and how they win over their customers (Brandcom, 2018a). The canvas also asks for their strengths, weaknesses and market share (Brandcom, 2022).
05
Customers
This field (Kunden) describes who the brand's customers are and what makes them, beyond age and gender. It lists their main requirements and needs, what they expect from the brand and what problem they have. It also asks in what situation they meet the brand: sitting on the sofa and seeing it on a tablet, or walking past it every day (Brandcom, 2018a).
06
Brand Promise
A good brand is a convincing promise to the customer, who links this promise with the product through the brand. The promise (Markenversprechen) is the core of the brand: at best, a clear statement that sits exactly between what customers want and what competitors can offer. It has to work for all the brand's offers and still be specific enough to be unique, which brandcom calls "certainly the hardest task in brand development" (translated) (Brandcom, 2018a). The canvas asks for it in one sentence: why should customers buy or use the brand (Brandcom, 2022)?
07
Story / Differentiation
This field (Story/Differenzierung) asks for the story behind the brand and what makes it unique and different from the competition (Brandcom, 2022). The German word for brand, Marke, comes from Markierung (marking), because the brand marks the difference from the competition. At best, the difference lies in the uniqueness of the product or service. Where real differentiation is hard, the brand story can express what makes the brand unique: the origin story of the brand or the company (the founding myth), its goals, or any other reason that matters to customers, even a special pricing strategy (Brandcom, 2018a).
08
Services / Offers / Products
Every brand has something to offer: products, services or, for NGOs, beliefs or services for others. This field (Leistungen/Angebote/Produkte) lists the brand's building blocks of performance, with their specific features if needed. The range should already be checked against the brand promise: if the brand is meant to make customers' lives easier, the offer should not be too complicated (Brandcom, 2018a). The canvas also asks how the products or services are built up and at what price or payment model they are offered (Brandcom, 2022).
Derivation
09
Corporate Design
The bottom row holds the parameters that shape how the brand appears; they should follow logically from the fields above (Brandcom, 2018a). Once it is clear for whom and for what the brand stands, its visual appearance (Corporate Design) can be derived. Must the brand radiate trustworthiness or innovative strength? Should it stand out loudly among its competitors or rather blend in? How do customers see the brand, which colours dominate, what imagery does it use? Small pictures help more here than words (Brandcom, 2018a).
10
Brand Personality
The personality is shaped by the corporate design but deserves its own description. How does the brand come across: approachable or distant, casual or serious and professional? If the brand were a person, would it use the familiar or the formal form of address? Tie or sneakers, or both? Descriptive adjectives can say a lot here (Brandcom, 2018a).
11
Marketing Strategy
A strategy is a plan aimed at a goal. This field (Marketing-Strategie) asks what the brand's goal is and what the plan is to reach it. Which media are used: search engine optimisation and advertising, or recommendations from satisfied customers? Are there seasonal swings the plan should allow for? Is the brand present at trade fairs, or does it meet its customers on the high street (Brandcom, 2018a)? The canvas asks which channels reach the target groups best and in what order the media are used (Brandcom, 2022).
Source
- Brandcom. (2018a, March 9). The Brand Canvas Model: Warum Wir Marken in Spalten Packen [The Brand Canvas Model: Why We Put Brands Into Columns] [Blog post]. Retrieved October 7, 2026, from https://www.brandcom.de/blog/the-brand-canvas-model-warum-wir-marken-in-spalten-packen
- Brandcom. (2018b). The Brand Canvas Model (Version 2) [Canvas template, PDF]. Brandcom Group. Retrieved October 7, 2026, from https://www.brandcom.de/assets/Uploads/9ffa1fd61c/bc-brand-canvas-model-v2.pdf
- Brandcom. (2022). The Brand Canvas Model [Canvas template with guiding questions, PDF]. Brandcom Group. Retrieved October 7, 2026, from https://www.brandcom.de/assets/PDFs/bc_brand_canvas_modell_2022.pdf